Local Area Networks (LANs) allow devices connected to a network to communicate with each other. For example, in a home environment, a LAN may allow a games console including a screen, for example a television, to play media from a media server by streaming packets of video data over the LAN. Each packet is sent to a destination device using an address which is local to that LAN.
The availability of multicast and broadcast within LANs enables a range of features which enhance and simplify a user's experience, for example allowing auto discovery of Universal Plug and Play (UPnP) devices and of Web Services Dynamic Discovery (WS-Discovery) enabled devices. Once devices have been discovered, they can send and receive packets over the LAN. These features are local to each LAN.
There are various technologies which enable remote access to a LAN, for example Virtual Private Networking (VPN), which allows a remote device to act as part of a LAN by providing the remote device with some client software which enables it to connect to the target LAN and be part of it as if the device was physically located in the LAN. As long as the remote device is able to be reprogrammed with the VPN client software, VPN can be used to extend the borders of the LAN.
The embodiments described below are not limited to implementations which solve any or all of the disadvantages of known device virtualization systems, or systems which link LANs.